Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA 94305-5795, USA.
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2012 Apr;37(4):509-18. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2011.07.020. Epub 2011 Aug 20.
Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a rare inherited genetic disorder causing severe intellectual disability and autistic-like symptoms. Individuals with FXS, males in particular, often exhibit extreme eye gaze avoidance and hyperarousal when they encounter stressful social situations. We investigated whether oxytocin (OT), a hormone with prosocial and anxiolytic effects, could alleviate symptoms of social anxiety in this population. A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled single-dose trial was performed with intranasal administration of placebo, 24 IU OT and 48 IU OT. Measures of eye gaze frequency, heart rate, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), heart rate variability (HRV) and salivary cortisol were obtained during a structured social challenge conducted 50 min following OT administration. Ten low-functioning males with FXS (aged 13-28 years) traveled to Stanford for the initial visit: 8 completed the study. Eye gaze frequency improved significantly in response to the 24 IU OT dose and salivary cortisol levels decreased significantly in response to the 48 IU OT dose. There was no effect of OT on heart rate, RSA or HRV although individual plots of the heart rate data suggested that OT increased heart rate in some participants and decreased heart rate in others. These findings suggest that intranasal administration of OT may ameliorate some symptoms of social anxiety in patients with FXS. Further double-blind placebo-controlled studies of OT, conducted in combination with behavioral treatment programs, may be warranted.
脆性 X 综合征（FXS）是一种罕见的遗传性疾病，可导致严重的智力障碍和类似自闭症的症状。FXS 患者，尤其是男性，在遇到有压力的社交情境时，往往会出现极度的眼神回避和过度警觉。我们研究了催产素（OT）是否可以缓解该人群的社交焦虑症状。OT 是一种具有亲社会和抗焦虑作用的激素，我们进行了一项随机、双盲、安慰剂对照的单次剂量试验，采用鼻腔给药，给予安慰剂、24IU OT 和 48IU OT。OT 给药后 50 分钟进行结构化社交挑战，在此期间测量了眼动频率、心率、呼吸窦性心律失常（RSA）、心率变异性（HRV）和唾液皮质醇。10 名低功能 FXS 男性（年龄 13-28 岁）前往斯坦福进行首次就诊：8 名完成了研究。24IU OT 剂量可显著改善眼动频率，48IU OT 剂量可显著降低唾液皮质醇水平。OT 对心率、RSA 或 HRV 没有影响，尽管心率数据的个体图表明，OT 增加了一些参与者的心率，降低了另一些参与者的心率。这些发现表明，鼻腔内给予 OT 可能改善 FXS 患者的一些社交焦虑症状。进一步的 OT 双盲安慰剂对照研究，结合行为治疗方案，可能是必要的。
